As we were walking along Jerusalem's Old City Walls, we saw this pretty little bird posing on an old strand of wire.
In the Bible, animals are often used to illustrate a point. These object lessons would have made perfect sense to the listener or reader, in much the same way as they do to us today. For example:
"As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place" (Proverb 27:8).
I have met people who were never happy where they were. They always looked for greener grass, which continually proved to be nothing more than a mirage on the horizon. They were on a constant search for satisfaction, peace, and fulfillment.
Looking in different jobs, relocations, and relationships, these people find themselves in an incessant state of frustration. The problem is always with the job, the place, or another person, they think. They never look within.
They are wanderers, constantly looking but never finding what they really need.
As a bird that moves away from the security of his nest, they make themselves vulnerable to attack. One misstep can land them in the snare of the fowler. But they are shortsighted; when they move away from the security and benefits of the nest, they envision only the freedom they hope to gain. They view security as restraint. They have an aversion to responsibility and authority figures. They don’t want to be obligated to anyone. The promise of an independent life, free of restrictions and boundaries, lures them away and it eventually serves as their demise.
The old saying is “A rolling stone gathers no moss.” Some people’s lives never take root because they won’t stay in one place long enough to get grounded. They have restless spirits; they are unsettled within. They are their own worst enemy…but they don’t even realize it.
